The present invention relates to a lock mechanism for an enclosure. In particular, the lock mechanism of the present invention is mounted in a lid of the enclosure. More particularly, the lock mechanism is mounted in a lock bore formed in the lid of the enclosure and extends into an interior compartment of the enclosure to selectively engage a base of the enclosure with the lid. The present invention also includes a molding device and method for forming the lock bore for the locking mechanism.
It is known to use a locking mechanism to secure the interior compartment of a fire-resistant safe or enclosure. For example, the locking mechanism may be a key lock that is used to secure the safe's lid to a base, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,514 to Robbins et al. In particular, this type of lock mechanism may include a lock latch that is coupled with the key lock and pivotally mounted within a lower escutcheon plate. The lock latch may be selectively coupled with a pin mounted within an upper escutcheon plate to secure the base to the lid when a corresponding key is used to rotate the key lock.
The key-type locking mechanism as discussed above suffers from a number of drawbacks and deficiencies. For instance, while the lock latch and pin are located within the upper and lower escutcheon plates, respectively, these components may be accessed and manipulated to unlock the safe if the top or bottom escutcheon plates are damaged or intentionally broken. Furthermore, the fact that the lock latch and pin are located outside the confines of the fire-resistant lid and base make these components susceptible to melting when exposed to elevated temperatures, such as during a fire. As a result, the locking mechanism will no longer operate to secure the internal compartment of the safe. In addition, the use of top and bottom escutcheon plates to provide a mounting location for the lock latch and the pin increases the cost of manufacturing the safe and may take away from the overall appearance of the safe.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an enclosure that eliminates the need for mounting the top and bottom escutcheon plates in order to reduce manufacturing costs, reduce the chance that the enclosure will be accessed by an unauthorized user, and improve the appearance of the enclosure. The present invention fills these needs as well as other needs.